ZZ Top, playing Newport News, still potent after 40 years of Texas grind: A review

God bless ZZ Top. Playing Ferguson Center for the Arts on Sunday night, the relentlessly boogieing Texas threesome sounded as fresh and nasty as it did on records made four decades ago.

Kicking off with "Got Me Under Pressure," then following up with the one-two punch of "Waitin' for the Bus" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago" the lean, no-nonsense trio ramped up the sonic intensity even when looking cool and casual.

Anyone who had the band mentally filed away in the 1980s novelty category (based on those cheesy videos from the "Eliminator" era) should have been in the house Sunday. Guitarist and singer Billy Gibbons flawlessly produced the riffs and licks from the band's records, and added a little extra funk for good measure.

"I Gotsta Get Paid" and "Chartreuse" from the band's latest album sounded as searing and tough as "Certified Blues" from the group's 1970 debut and "My Head's In Mississippi" from 1990. A cover of the Jimi Hendrix favorite "Foxey Lady" nodded to the band's psychedelic roots.

At least in the part of the show I witnessed, nary a synthesizer or sequencer reared its head. This was stripped down blues rock with spirit, humor and tons of groove.

Early in the show, Gibbons acknowledged that fans had been supporting the band for more than 40 years.